Check back soon to see un updated list of your community leaders for Spring 2026 and how to get in touch with them.
Southeast Michigan
Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti
Joseph Hatch
Joe enjoys vegetable gardening, beekeeping, and fiddling with stringed acoustic instruments, and especially reading and learning about nature. Joe is both an environmental advocate and Michigan master naturalist. A curious artist at heart, his love of nature builds the more he learns and explores the relationships, rhythms and patterns found in the plants and animals around us.
Kevin Cooper
Kevin grew up in the Midwest, graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014, and now owns a small worker co-op building websites for NGOs. He lives in Ann Arbor with his partner and two small cats who walk on a leash and do tricks. Kevin also performs improv comedy with a local troupe.
Gina Neshewat
Gina moved to Ypsilanti in 2019. Before then she spent most of her time in Ann Arbor, walking in its glorious parks and beyond, but never really thinking about how the ecology worked.
After moving to Ypsilanti she went from a 20×10 yard to over 2 acres, and that is when the adventure began. Initially just wanting to identify trees, she invited her friend Robb to walk through the woods with her. From there he explained which trees were which and much more. He eventually connected Gina to Billy when it was clear she was really into this work, and they became fast plant friends.
Since that first walk through the woods in Ypsilanti, Gina has never looked at nature the same and has become a strong supporter of native and local biodiversity.
Royal Oak
Ann E. Bueche
Ann has appreciated plants and gardens for as long as she can remember. From childhood experiments with growing plants to tending houseplants and gardens throughout her life, her curiosity about plants has always been present.
Her deeper interest in native plants and ecological restoration began in 2015 after returning to Michigan from Colorado and noticing a sharp decline in bees and butterflies. Reading Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy and learning from native plant advocates helped set her on a path toward habitat gardening and ecological restoration.
Ann serves on the Planning Commission and the Sustainability and Climate Action Task Force for the City of Royal Oak. She is also an independent consultant specializing in program design, training, outreach and strategy.
Grosse Pointe Park
Kelly Konieczki
Kelly is an outdoor educator who is passionate about pollinators and environmental stewardship. She enjoys helping people of all ages get involved in community science and tune into the relationships that exist within the natural world. Kelly is excited to help create pollinator pathways in her community and looks forward to connecting with others who want to support pollinators and habitat.